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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Friday, May 27, 2011

For you poor working stiffs out there, I understand this is a long weekend. I hope you enjoy it :) The Horde started the weekend with a small success. Miss Georgia got her second point today at the Hampton, VA, show under breed-judge Janet Robinson (Snowdonia).

In other Georgia news, she is in season. At this point, that doesn't really mean much to anyone but Sam. He is absolutely gobsmacked by her beauty and enticing aroma. He sings, he tap dances, he tries to make the tips of his ears cross in his efforts to express to her the degree to which he finds her alluring. It's a little pathetic to watch him try to impress her since she's still young enough that she doesn't really know what all his posturing is about. Being the unscrupulous dog-mom that I am, I plan to take full advantage of Georgia's condition and Sam's infatuation. Today I called Dr. Dove's office to make an appointment for Sam to be collected on next Friday. Sam has never really needed incentive to do his business at Dr. Dove's office but since Monday will be the old man's 13th birthday and he's down to just the one testicle, I figure it can't hurt to give him a little encouragement, something to strive for, even though he won't be allowed to consummate the relationship in that way. I'm considering it a belated birthday gift for the old man.

Monday, May 23, 2011

UHM and I spent some time this morning picking strawberries at a local U-pick farm. This is the second year we've done this so that we can have strawberries year round. Last year UHM went a little crazy with the strawberry picking and we came home with around 50 lbs of berries! We restrained ourselves this time and only came home with only 20 lbs. After everything was processed, that amounted to 17 pints to go in the freezer and a quart or so fresh for immediate consumption. We also bought some fresh rhubarb which I chopped up and froze for rhubarb crisps to enjoy long after rhubarb season is over. There are 3 qts in the freezer now.

I inventoried what was left in the chest freezer from last summer's bounty and we have some peaches and strawberries to be eating soon. I think there are 6-7 qts of peaches still in there and another 4-5 qts of strawberries. Guess I have some baking to do - or maybe peach or strawberry daquiris....

Monday, May 16, 2011

There's been a lot going on these days and sometimes things just get overlooked. Such is the case with Moira's performance at the Madco Agility USDAA trial April 29-30. We were 0-3 over two days but the girl still loves agility and we get a little better each time. Moira goes into sensory overload very easily so high energy environments, like agility trials, can cause her to lose focus very quickly. She's been like this since she was a puppy and while she's definitely improved with age, her arousal level can still go off the charts at the drop of a hat. I'm fortunate that it manifests as a dog who can't settle or focus and doesn't want to meet new people, rather than one who becomes reactive to other dogs. In fact, when Moira is like this she couldn't care less about other dogs - there are too many other things she needs to keep an eye on. Anyway, here is some video of our jumpers runs that weekend. Please take note of the awesome rear crosses in the second video.

I don't have another trial planned until fall but there's a possibility I might slip one in sometime this summer. It just depends on a lot of things.

Friday, May 13, 2011

UHM returned home on Wednesday and we are getting back into our normal routines; or as normal as routines get when we are both unemployed. Never fear though, we are working on a plan. A plan that involves baked goods and beverages. As things evolve, I'll share more but right now we aren't far enough down the path to reveal any real information. In the meantime we are spending time at our garden plot, hoping all the veggies we are planting will provide us with an abundance of produce this summer.

So, here are a couple pictures from our recent sojourn to SC. We were only able to go away for a bit because UHM's parents own a home down there. Otherwise, vacations are a thing of the past for us.

Do you know how difficult it is to get 2 women and 2 dogs to look at a camera at the same time?

Georgia's other means of transportation this trip. I'm afraid she may refuse to ride in her crate in the Dawg Yacht now.

Friday, May 6, 2011

I've been away since Monday, visiting UHM's parents in South Carolina, at the beach :) There are advantages to being unemployed - I can go to the beach in the off-season when there's virtually no one there but the weather is still good enough for me to lie in the sun and add a few more wrinkles to my face.

Anyway, I got home this evening. UHM won't be home until Wednesday. When I arrived home I was greeted by three ecstatic dogs. Moira woo-wooed me, Ginny ran around grabbing chewies and Sam barked a lot and jumped on me. Sam is old, Sam's back hurts, Sam shouldn't jump on me. Sam will be getting a double dose of Tramadol tonight. Grace, the cat, slept through all this but has been awake for the last hour complaining about nothing. That's Grace. At 14 she's allowed to complain a bit, even if it is about nothing.

For those of you who are my friends on FB, you'll know that Georgia has a yacht. We saw it while we were lunching at the marina on Tuesday. It's a nice yacht. If you click on the image you should just be able to make out Georgia's name on the yacht.

When UHM returns with the camera next week you can see Georgia's other 'toy.' Here's a hint though, it's sporty and cherry red. The Princess is acquiring quite a lot of toys.

Dog Quote of the Week

"All knowledge, the totality of all questions and all answers is contained in the dog."

- Franz Kafka

About Me, UHM and The Horde

Me: I'm a 40-something dog mom. I never intended to live with five dogs and a cat, it just happened. Funny thing is, I can't imagine living any other way.

UHM (Understanding House Mate): She didn't even have a dog when she was a child. FIVE dogs and a cat!?!? Now you know why she's understanding. She loves the dogs as much as I do. The cat, not so much.

The Heathen Horde: Sam, Ginny & Moira are the original Horde members. In the last two years Bogey & Georgia have been granted full membership status. Everyone is red & white - that way the neighbors aren't sure how many dogs we have :)